The manual advises to remove the antenna before washing the auto. Unfortunately it does not say how to remove the antenna. What is the procedure for doing this? Or should the antenna even be removed?
Gently grip the antenna just above the base, you will see the hairline split. Twist and it should un-screw quite easily.
Lefty-loosey Righty-tighty I took mine off as soon as I bought my '04 Prius. The winter road salt has a nasty habit of getting into *everything* and parts can seize. Knowing my luck, at some future point I would have to remove the antenna and it would be corroded on.
It's recommended to remove it while going through an automated car wash that uses brushes. If it's touchless, the antenna should clear the overhead machine.
Early on, I replaced the OEM antenna with a stubby (2") antenna I bought on eBay to avoid having to remove the antenna for car washes. I have not noticed any degradation of FM or AM signal strength in my metro (Dallas) area. I do reinstall the long (OEM) antenna when driving cross-country for better reception on weak stations. Search eBay on "car antenna" or similar.
After unscrewing, is there a way to access / remove the base? I was thinking about pulling my satellite radio wire through there instead of through the hatch, that is if it's simple enough to get the base off. Anyone pull the base off before? Ken
